Living A Life of Worship

Recently I asked myself: “How do I really live a life of worship?" The answer to that question took me on an interesting journey I’d like to share with you. I think its of vital importance that we live a life centered on worshipping Jesus Christ. Worship is the medium by which all spiritual growth occurs, and we will discover why that is…

Establishing His Worthiness

As a christian, you may think that the savior of the universe being worthy of worship to be an established fact, and it certainly is. But why is that? What scripturally establishes His worthiness? One could certainly argue that all scripture establishes His worth, and while I believe that also to be true, what is a solid example to which we can point? To begin, lets look at Revelation chapter 5 verse 12.

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

That pretty much sums it up! Worthy is the lamb! There Are literally scores of other examples we could cite but I believe this one verse clearly and absolutely establishes that Jesus is worthy of worship.

How Then, Do We Worship?

If you were raised in the church, or have been part of a church for any length of time, the first thing that probably comes to mind when you think of worship, is music. Music however, and any other form of worship – is only truly worship if, and only if it is done with the proper heart, and mindset. Otherwise, it is just nice words with a melody. As a Worship leader and musician, worship through lifting my voice and playing my instrument are both very close to my heart. Whatever the medium, pure worship has requirements. Let's look at a verse you have likely heard before, John chapter 4, verse 24:

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Okay, great! But, what does that mean mean exactly?

I would like to start with the last word in this verse, because it makes the most sense to me this way. Truth in worship requires sincerity. This is an absolute. We do not worship Jesus Christ because we’re supposed to, but because we want to. Not just because of what He’s done for us, but because of who He is. True worship is not ritual, it is an expression – A deep and profound expression of our love and commitment to Him – or at least it's supposed to be. Are you worshipping in truth, or lying in ritual? That may sound harsh, but truth is truth. I challenge you to examine your heart and mind next time you are in church or your personal time of prayer. Ask yourself “Is my heart and mind sincere?” We must be Honest in our worship no matter what form it takes.

In comparison, I believe worshipping in spirit has a direct correlation to worshipping in truth. This is open to interpretation, or debate, but I believe to worship in spirit you must leave your flesh behind. We are spiritual beings ultimately and to worship correctly we must shake off the flesh. Life’s worries and concerns must be laid aside and our focus has to be on Jesus, and only Jesus. You can’t worship in spirit if you are not worshipping in truth, and likewise you can’t worship in truth if you are not worshipping in spirit. Its both, or neither. This is why the verse says you “must worship in spirit and in truth”, it's both or it's not true worship.

All Or Nothing

In or out. Hot or cold. Black or white. To paraphrase Jesus, you’re either hot or cold, and if you're somewhere in between, you’re worse off than if you were freezing to death. Interestingly, most of us in the US live life at a comfortable 70 degrees. Our homes, workplaces and cars are climate controlled. Even the storage spaces full of the junk we no longer have room for are climate controlled. We really don't like being cold, and most of us abhor being hot in the physical. Isn't that an interesting correlation. Living a life of worship, is not comfortable. It's hard work, and it's sweaty. It takes an attitude of sincerity and perseverance to achieve. We must disable our spiritual climate control systems and embrace the uncomfortable heat because you'll die in the cold.

It's a fact of nature, things do not grow in the winter, they grow in the warmth of the summer. Likewise, when we are living a life of worship, we grow. We are like the tiny seeds that struggle out of dark comfortable soil into the bright, hot sun. We should be Stretching, reaching and struggling towards heaven, bearing as much fruit as we can. That's how God designed us to exist. But it takes time and patience. It requires effort and discipline. We must remain vigilant. Otherwise, we are to be cut off and thrown into the fire.

Worship = Obedience

Jesus says if you love me, keep my commandments. In truth that is what living a life of worship truly is - Obedience. We must obey His commandments. We must do it in truth, with honesty and sincerity, and it must be born of our very spirit. Someone somewhere once said, “you'll be judged not by the level of your success but by the height of your obedience.” We may not all win 10,000 souls for Jesus, but we can all live a life of sincere worship persevering day in and day out.

Living a life of worship can be summed up in this one statement - either your stretching, struggling and reaching for a life of sincere obedience, or your dying a death of comfortable complacency. The good news is we can chose which we will be. Which do you want to be?